Last year’s Conference in Port Macquarie was one of the largest in the NSW Nationals’ recent history, revealing the party’s continuing vitality in regional NSW. Now we’re getting ready to do it all again in 2012 in the Southern Highlands!

This year’s Conference will reflect on the progress and challenges of almost 18 months of government, as well as debating strategies and policies to take us into the future.

The Nationals pride themselves on being one of the most inclusive political parties in Australia, allowing all members of six months or longer to speak on motions and vote on the future direction of the party. If members have never attended a Conference in the past, we encourage them to come along in 2012 and make their voices heard.

Taking place just before the mid-year school holidays, this year’s program begins with our traditional welcome event on the Friday night with Conference to run across the weekend. As always there will be a balance of hard work and the chance to catch up with members from across the state in some of the Southern Highlands’ most spectacular venues.

This year, Conference registration is $45 while the Conference Package, which includes tickets to the social events on Friday and Saturday nights, is $135. The NSW Nationals have subsidised these prices again in 2012 to enable as many members to join us at Conference as possible.

Members who joined before Thursday December 22, 2011 will be eligible to attend Conference as full voting delegates. Members who joined after that date will be unable to vote but are welcome to attend Conference as observers.

To register your attendance at Conference, simply click the Registration tab above and fill out the online registration form for Conference and all the social events we have planned. Alternatively you can download the registration form here and return to Head Office by mail to Locked Bag 4558, Sydney NSW 2001, by fax on 02 9299 5636 or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

We hope you’ll be able to join us for what will be another productive yet enjoyable Annual General Conference.

Part of the Great Dividing Range, the Southern Highlands region is a collection of 13 bustling towns and quaint rural villages tucked away in the mountains just further than 100km south-west of Sydney. The three major town centres of Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale serve as hubs for their surrounding villages, all of which are within easy driving distance.

The Southern Highlands’ mild summers and cool winters have proved popular for locals and tourists wishing to escape the humidity and heat of coastal Sydney since the arrival of the railway in the late 1800s.

The region’s rich volcanic soil and reliable rainfall originally attracted farmers and graziers to settle in the area but tourism has become the mainstay of the local economy. In the past three decades there has been a surge in the number of vineyards and wineries established in the region, producing cool climate white and red wine.

With an average height above sea level of 640 metres or higher, the Southern Highlands’ rugged bushland and sandstone valleys also provide an important water catchment area for Sydney, Wollongong and the Northern Shoalhaven.

For more information about the Conference and accommodation, please contact Larissa Kaye in Head Office on 02 9299 5811 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information on the Southern Highlands, visit www.southern-highlands.com.au.

There are plenty of affordable as well as luxurious accommodation options in and around Bowral. Tourism Southern Highlands has offered to assist with suggestions as well as making bookings. Visit their website at www.southern-highlands.com.au, click on the “Visitors” tab and select "Accommodation" from the drop-down menu to make an online reservation request or call 1300 657 559.

Prices start from $120 per night for single rooms and $130 per night for twin share/doubles at the Springs Resorts Mittagong RSL Motel in nearby Mittagong.

We will hold our Annual Conference Dinner in the ballroom at the Gibraltar Hotel Bowral on Saturday June 23 and the Gibraltar has a range of double/twin share rooms available from $244 per night. Both the Golfview Lodge Bowral and Peppers Craigieburn Bowral are located close by, with the Golfview Lodge Bowral’s twin share/double rooms from $125 per night and Peppers’ double/twin share rooms from $215 per night.

Tourism Southern Highlands will also have a range of dining deals available to members at local restaurants on the Friday night, following our cocktail event. They are also more than happy to suggest activities for the families of members who might prefer to spend their days exploring the local attractions. For more information, please call 1300 657 559.